Knife



Jmfly W, 1956 P. c. CULVEIR KNIFE Filed Aug. 13. 1953 I NVENTOR ATTORNEY United States Patent KNIFE Paul C. Culver, Crisfield, Md., assignor to Chas. D. Briddell, Inc., Crisfield, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application August 13, 1953, Serial No. 373,970

2 Claims. (Cl. 30-496) This invention relates to an improvement in cutlery, and more particularly to a knife, such as a carving knife or the like, provided with means to compel the user to mount or support the knife in a holder in such a way that the cutting edge of the blade must be placed away from a user and toward a wall or other support.

While it is known to provide knife holders or racks wherein the blade can be mounted in a position to readily grasp the handle, nevertheless, particularly in the use of knives with sharp edges, nothing has heretofore been provided which makes it impossible for the user to support the knife so that its shanp cutting edge cannot be mounted in any other way except in a safe position with respect to the user. In other words, the present invention leaves nothing to chance or inattention by a user to obtain maximum protection from the knife edge when it is not in use, and mounted on a support.

Accordingly, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a knife having a blade including a cutting edge, and at the heel thereof, that is, at a point adjacent the handle, the blade is provided with transversely or laterally disposed lug portions which cooperate with a support.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder for cooperating with a knife having means at its cutting edge for receiving said means in such a way that the sharp cutting edge is compelled to be placed in a slot, thereby not only causing the sharp edge to be concealed by the mere act of placing it in the holder or rack, but, at the same time, causing the knife to be supported with its back or unsharpened edge facing the user.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and arrangement of pants hereinafter more fully described, illustrated, and claimed.

Preferred and practical embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of knives constructed in accordance with the present invention supported in a holder or rack;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross section of the rack shown in Fig. l with a knife of the present invention supported therein and taken on the line 22 of Fig. 3;

Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Figure 4 illustrates the same knife shown in Figures 1 to 3 supported in a modified form of holder;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5 of Fig. 4.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring first to the knife, designated generally as K, it will be observed that the same includes a blade 1 having a cutting edge 2 and a back edge 3. The said blade 1 has its shank end fitted in a suitable handle H.

As will be seen more clearly from Figure 2, the cutting edge 2 may be provided at its shank end, that is the end adjacent the handle, with a non-cutting heel portion 'ice 4 disposed in the plane of the blade and which is preferably formed at the time of forging or blanking of the blade. This heel portion 4 projects substantially beyond the cutting edge 2 in this form to provide clearance between the cutting edge and the support.

The said heel portion 4 is provided at each side thereof with lateral or transversely offset knife supporting projections or lugs which in the form shown may be rounded buttons 5 or the like. However, it may be point-ed out that the supporting or hanger elements 5 need not necessarily be round or hemispherical but may be square,

oval or of any other .convenient geometrical shape.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the blade 1 is provided with a non cutting heel portion having means offset laterally therefrom adjacent the terminus of its cutting edge to cooperate with a rack or holder in such a way that compels the user to place the cutting edge away from 'him, as will now appear more in detail.

Figures 1 to 3 illustrate one form of holder 6 which preferably consists of a channel-shaped member having side walls 6a and the inturned flanges 7, said flanges being provided with vertical slots 8 which extend. into the sides of the channel and also communicate at their inner ends with an entrance opening 9 for receiving the lugs 5. It will be seen from the drawings that the upper portions of the slots 8 are narrower than the lower portions to snugly accommodate the cutting portion of the blade and the thickened portion 4. This arrangement is such that when it is desired to place the knife in its holder, the cutting edge having the lugs 5 is moved toward the slots 8 and opening 9, and upon the lugs '5 entering the opening 9 the blade my be moved downwardly until the lugs 5 rest on the lower Wall 6a 'of the channel 6 and become engaged behind the flange 7. In this position, the knife can only 'be supported with its cutting edge inwardly, and is also prevented from downward movement by the lugs 5 engaging the said bottom wall 6a of the channel 6.

The type of holder 6 shown in Figure 1 permits the knife to be supported with the handle downwardly. On the other hand, if it is desired to support the knives with their handles upwardly, the type of holder shown in Fig ures 4 and 5 may be used. As will be seen from these figures, the holder 10 includes a base 11 which may, if desired, be provided with lateral attaching cars 12, and is also provided with the sockets 13 for receiving and engaging the lugs 5 of the knife. The base 11 preferably has attached thereto a cover member 14 which is pro vided with slots 15 to receive the blade 1 of the knife, the upper portions of said slots being enlarged as at 16 to receive the shank portion of the knife adjacent the handle and permit the offset lugs 5 adjacent the cutting edge of the blade to be received and sea-ted within the sockets 13.

In connection with the holders 6, 10, it will, of course, be understood that they may be made of any suitable material and supported on a wall or other surface, or, alternatively, they may be made a part of the box or package in which a set of knives is sold so that the entire package can be suspended 'on a wall or the like to give ready access to any particular type of knife desired, while, at the same time, assuring the user maximum protection from the sharp edges of the knives.

Without further description, it is believed that the construction and advantages of the invention will be readily understood, and that changes may be resorted to within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A knife including a handle having a ferrule and a flat blade extending therefrom, said blade having a cutting edge, and a non-cutting heel portion disposed in the same general plane as the blade and adjacent to the 3 ferrule, 's'aid heel portion projecting substantially beyond the cutting edge of the blade, and a supporting lug l aterally offset from a side of the heel portion.

2. A knife including a handle, a blade having a cutting edge, and a non-cutting heel portion, and a studrigid with, and projecting laterally from aside of the said heel portion, said stud having a substantially semi-spherical. outer surface projecting laterally outward from a. face: of the heel portion and being disposed outwardly of the boundary of the cutting edge to constitute the sole sup port for the knife when the unobstructed blade is placed in theslot of a; holder mounted on the: surface of a wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Cox May 20, 1884 Cox Jan. 25, 1887 Lee Apr. 9, 1889 Colvin Feb. 27,1917 Pitchur Apr. 22, 1924 Callurn Apr. 15, 1930 Fried Sept. 6,1932 Champlin 2 t Aug; 10,1 1937. Gilbert 22... Sept, 5,,1-944 Pavlaok Aug.. 16, 1949 Glass Feb. 2'1, 1950 

